Get to Know Olio Piro, Producer of Tuscan Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

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An exceptional Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil that enhances most anything.
An exceptional Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil that enhances most anything.

You know if a legendary Michelin three-starred restaurant like Eleven Madison Park in New York is a fan, then it’s got to have it going on.

Olio Piro certainly does.

Brother and sister, Romain Piro and Marie-Charlotte Piro, launched the Miami-based extra virgin olive oil company in 2020, cold-pressing a blend of olives from 300-year-old trees in Southern Tuscany.

The olives are pressed within hours of harvest. But what makes their olive oil unique is that it is filtered three times — not the standard once or twice — to remove sediment and particles that may cause the oil to turn rancid over time. The company does so with a proprietary vertical pressure filter system originally developed for making wine.

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Sponsored Post: Barley Risotto with Pazazz Apples, Sage, and Leek Butter Sauce

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Caramelized Pazazz apple slices top this hearty, warming barley risotto with a velvety leek butter sauce.
Caramelized Pazazz apple slices top this hearty, warming barley risotto with a velvety leek butter sauce.

Celebrate autumn with a sublime dish that celebrates apple season to the max.

It’s a little sweet, a little savory.

It’s hearty and wholesome, loaded with fiber-rich barley and juicy, fresh Pazazz apples.

But also a bit naughty with a creamy, unctuous leek butter sauce made with a splash of hard apple cider that ties everything together beautifully.

What’s not to love?

“Barley Risotto with Pazazz Apples, Sage, and Leek Butter Sauce” is versatile enough to serve as a meatless first course or entree. Or alongside sausages, ham, roast duck, grilled chicken or Thanksgiving turkey or even leftover turkey the day after.

Crunchy, juicy Pazazz apples.
Crunchy, juicy Pazazz apples.

Good thing it’s prime season now through June for Pazazz apples, a late-season variety that’s related to the Honeycrisp. Grown by a small group of family farmers across North America, these shiny red-skinned apples with yellow-green striations are perfect for snacking out of hand or to feature in all manner of sweet or savory recipes.

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Korean Spicy Braised Tofu — In Minutes

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A quick and easy tofu banchan that explodes with punchy flavors.
A quick and easy tofu banchan that explodes with punchy flavors.

Like many people, I often have a love-hate relationship with ingredients new to me — and the recipes that require them.

The loathing comes, albeit halfheartedly, when I realize that getting my hands on them requires an extra trip to a specialty grocery store or a search online to find a source.

The adoration comes when I unexpectedly discover a product that not only delights, but opens up a whole new world of new possibilities to me.

That was the case with maesil cheong or Korean plum extract syrup.

Made by fermenting unripe green plums with sugar, it’s used in Korean marinades, sauces and drinks. It’s even thought to aid digestion and combat fatigue.

Korean plum extract syrup.
Korean plum extract syrup.

It’s slightly viscous, sweet, floral, and a little tart. It reminds me of Japanese ume plum, of which I already can’t get enough. I’m already thinking how fantastic a splash would be in a cocktail or iced tea or a glass of club soda.

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Get to Know Effie’s Homemade Biscuits

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Effie's Homemade Hazelnut Biscuits are a natural for a thick smear of Nutella.
Effie’s Homemade Hazelnut Biscuits are a natural for a thick smear of Nutella.

They may be called biscuits, but they’re not the mile-high, flaky layered ones that immediately jump to mind.

Instead, Effie’s Homemade Biscuits are more like Scottish oatcakes.

Now, don’t let the term “oatcakes” fool you into thinking these must be so healthful that they taste like cardboard.

On the contrary, these thin, cookie-cracker-like hybrids are deceptively buttery, delightfully crunchy, subtly sweet, and gently salty. And they are positively addicting, as I found when I received samples to try.

The company is named for Effie MacLellan, who brought with her a generations-old, family recipe for the biscuits when she moved from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts.

Her daughter Joan MacIsaac, along with Joan’s best friend Irene Costello, started the company in 2008. They now make nine different flavors.

Lean into the savory, sweet, or nutty varieties of Effie's.
Lean into the savory, sweet, or nutty varieties of Effie’s.

I had a chance to try four of them: original Oatcakes, Gruyere, Hazelnut, and Corn.

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Italian Venchi Chocolates Debut Two New Flavors

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Sampler box of Venchi Cocovair bonbons.
Sampler box of Venchi Cocovair bonbons.

Just in time for the start of the major holidays, Italian chocolate maker, Venchi, has added two new flavors to its popular line of individually wrapped Chocoviar bonbons.

This company has been in business since 1878, when founder Silviano Venchi bought two bronze cauldrons and started crafting chocolates to sell in his small shop in Turin when he was all of 20 years old.

Venchi has since expanded into gelato, too. It sports shops worldwide, including in New York, London, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, and Dubai. There’s even one at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara.

Unwrapping the Chocovair chocolates.
Unwrapping the Chocovair chocolates.

I had a chance to try samples of the staple Chocoviar flavors, as well as the two new ones. Wrapped in foil, each one is enrobed in both a chocolate shell and either fine chocolate grains or toffee pieces.

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